2014 Decluttering Thread

[disneysteve]

I haven't been too active lately. Just been busy with other things. But I have been staying on top of things and not letting new stuff accumulate and that alone is a success in my book.

I have had a couple of sessions of clearing out old newspapers so that pile is coming along nicely.

I haven't gotten to work int he garage again yet but I absolutely still plan to as soon as I have a free day - possibly this Sunday weather-permitting.

[creditcardfree]

I went through my 12+ magazines earlier this week. I was able to get rid of 8, which have been recycled. There is one subscription that has quite a few recipes. I will need to go through those a little closer to see what I would really make and pull those out before I recycle.

I don't pay for magazines, I have found free sources. One of them being airline miles we will never use!

[disneysteve]

I don't pay for magazines, I have found free sources. One of them being airline miles we will never use!

I do the same thing with airline miles - free magazines.

[Eagle]

Considering de-cluttering our garage and storage barn this month. We'll probably start this weekend nocking out a few boxes.

Only been in our house and we're already "one of those" family's that have a ton of junk in our garage and storage barn.

We can fit one vehicle in the garage though currently...

[snafu]

...one baby step at a time! Dumped DH's sock drawer on the bed earlier today and removed summer weight socks in good condition. Pitched all socks with issues [elastic sprung, worn thin, discoloured, orphans], added a new package of 12 pairs; set for winter. So practical to buy the same socks, 12 in a package for pairing and wearing when on sale.

Likewise reviewed my boot socks; getting through closet & bureau change out for winter, one section at a time.

[disneysteve]

Today was "round 2" in our garage. Not nearly as big an accomplishment as round 1 but I definitely made some more progress. I followed the same routine of emptying stuff out into the driveway with the "keep" stuff to one side and the "get rid of stuff" to the other. The problem today was that there was more keep stuff and I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rest. Before, we were prepping for a yard sale so that was a little easier. I also got into a lot of boxes that I wasn't quite sure what to do with yet. The more I think about it, a lot of that stuff will end up being trash but I wasn't quite mentally ready to let go of it yet.

Anyway, to focus on what I did accomplish:

- There is a charity event that we contribute stuff to that is coming up in 4 weeks. I made a pile of items to donate to that for the raffle and auction that will be held.

- I got a stack of children's books that will be donated to another upcoming event.

- I filled our recycling bin with empty boxes and unneeded papers.

- I filled two 30-gallon trash bags plus most of a third.

- I cleared some stuff we don't need off of the main shelving unit and replaced it with stuff that we're keeping.

In the end, the garage actually looks a bit more full than when I started but I can tell that it's just distributed differently. Also, there is now floor space in front of the shelving unit so I can get to it without having to move boxes out of the way. Still much work to be done but as my wife pointed out, the garage didn't get that way overnight. It took 20 years to accumulate so it isn't going to get fixed in a few hours.

[creditcardfree]

Today was "round 2" in our garage. Not nearly as big an accomplishment as round 1 but I definitely made some more progress. I followed the same routine of emptying stuff out into the driveway with the "keep" stuff to one side and the "get rid of stuff" to the other. The problem today was that there was more keep stuff and I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rest. Before, we were prepping for a yard sale so that was a little easier. I also got into a lot of boxes that I wasn't quite sure what to do with yet. The more I think about it, a lot of that stuff will end up being trash but I wasn't quite mentally ready to let go of it yet.

Anyway, to focus on what I did accomplish:

- There is a charity event that we contribute stuff to that is coming up in 4 weeks. I made a pile of items to donate to that for the raffle and auction that will be held.

- I got a stack of children's books that will be donated to another upcoming event.

- I filled our recycling bin with empty boxes and unneeded papers.

- I filled two 30-gallon trash bags plus most of a third.

- I cleared some stuff we don't need off of the main shelving unit and replaced it with stuff that we're keeping.

In the end, the garage actually looks a bit more full than when I started but I can tell that it's just distributed differently. Also, there is now floor space in front of the shelving unit so I can get to it without having to move boxes out of the way. Still much work to be done but as my wife pointed out, the garage didn't get that way overnight. It took 20 years to accumulate so it isn't going to get fixed in a few hours.

Your wife is right! And I think you made good progress. Sometimes, just seeing what is there and thinking about what to do with it all is a very good step. If you have a Habitat for Humanity in your area, they may have a reStore where you can donate building materials, and old paint.

[Eagle]

Friday I spent about 3 hours in the garage. Got about 1/2 of the job done. Consolidated a lot of boxes. Got rid of several boxes.

Re-organized a closet so we moved the Christmas decorations and Christmas tree inside into closet. Also moved our luggage into the barn.

Went through a big pile of books DW needs to confirm we can try to sell at Half Priced Books. Also have a stack of things to give away.

Thanks for the inspiration DisneySteve!

[disneysteve]

Sometimes, just seeing what is there and thinking about what to do with it all is a very good step.

Definitely. After 20 years, there are definitely boxes of stuff in there that I don't know the contents of so taking some time and just peering into each box was a good step. I pulled a few items out for donations to the events I mentioned and I now know that I need to allot some time to go through those boxes item by item.

Looking at the garage again last night and this morning, it definitely is better following yesterday's session. One thing I didn't really notice right away when I was done is that the main path from the garage door to the house door is now a couple of feet wider. So there isn't the big open floor space near the front like before but there is a much wider path through the whole garage.

[HappySaver]

Time for a summary. I've tossed 10 paper bags of paperwork from my office. I can now see a good portion of my desk (and it's a large desk) and my file cabinets have been heavily purged.

I still have several more piles and bags to get through, but I've made good progress.

[creditcardfree]

Time for a summary. I've tossed 10 paper bags of paperwork from my office. I can now see a good portion of my desk (and it's a large desk) and my file cabinets have been heavily purged.

I still have several more piles and bags to get through, but I've made good progress.

Great job! 20 paper bags is quite a bit. Keep up the great work!!

I sold three items on eBay this weekend, so less stuff in the house! More to list and more places I need to dig into now that marching band is nearly over (it has kept us busy this fall).

[disneysteve]

I went through some files today and removed a bunch of old bills. For some reason, I hadn't ditched the 2013 ones yet. For budgteting purposes, I just recorded the amounts of each bill on one sheet of paper and the actual statements went in the shredding bag. In January, I'll do the same with the 2014 bills as well as all of the investment statements.

Yes, I know all of this stuff is available online but I still prefer having hard copies. Call me old-fashioned.

[Androo63]

Recently decluttered my wardrobe - got rid of a whole lot of gear, much of it 80s fashions. Everything I put back I hung the clotheshangers back-to-front. Then as I use something the hanger goes in the right way round. I'll do this again in a year's time - will be interesting to see how many hangers are still back-to-front (and thus can be chucked then)

[snafu]

Androo, terrific job to clear your closet of clothes you no longer wear or enjoy. It's a great feeling to do the same with bureau drawers or shelves, releasing the items that are damaged, stained, ripped, torn, sprung elastic, worn thin, no longer used and enjoyed. It's so freeing and such a relief to only look after items we use.

[creditcardfree]

Yesterday, I purged my expired spices and those that were no longer usable (which were some salts that had hardened). I also found a box of cereal that has been uneaten and in the cupboard for too long. I also had baking powder, baking soda, and powdered sugar that needed to be tossed. Most items won't be replaced until needed, some I already had replacements for.

I was motivated by some other blogs online, and realized that getting spices tossed out before baking season begins would be a good idea!